Refrigerant Receiver Brazing With Desiccator Humidity Containment

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

The challenge in brazing air conditioning circuit components with integrated desiccators is the diffusion of humidity during the brazing process, which leads to pollution and leaks, hindering the industrialization of sealed integrated bottles due to the desiccator's degassing and subsequent contamination of the brazing atmosphere.

Innovation Solution

The method involves using containment means, such as thin caps or an envelope, to confine the desiccator within the bottle during brazing, preventing humidity pollution, and allowing communication only after the brazing process through external pressure variations, ensuring a clean atmosphere for optimal brazing quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If the desiccator is integrated into the bottle and brazed in a single operation with the component, then manufacturing cost is reduced and assembly operations are simplified, but humidity from the desiccator diffuses during brazing and pollutes the neutral atmosphere, causing leaks and poor brazing quality

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing costVSAvoidhumidity pollution

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The bottle is divided into two separate brazing operations: first the bottle is brazed to the component without the desiccator, then the desiccator is added separately. This segmentation allows the bottle to be brazed in a clean atmosphere without humidity contamination from the desiccator, while still achieving integrated assembly through the subsequent desiccator installation process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The bottle is prepared and brazed to the component before the desiccator is introduced. This preliminary brazing action ensures that the critical brazing atmosphere remains neutral and free from humidity pollution, while the desiccator is added in a subsequent step after the brazing operation is complete

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the desiccator is sealed inside the bottle with TIG or laser welding, then leak risk is reduced, but manufacturing cost increases due to heavy additional operations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveleak riskVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The brazing of the bottle to the component is merged with the sealing of the desiccator in a single operation. The desiccator is positioned within the bottle during the brazing process, and the same brazing operation that joins the bottle to the component also seals the desiccator in place, eliminating the need for separate TIG or laser welding operations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The brazing operation serves multiple functions simultaneously: it joins the bottle to the component and seals the desiccator inside the bottle. This multi-functional approach reduces the number of manufacturing steps and associated costs while maintaining the reliability benefits of sealed construction

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Ease of operation

If removable caps with O-ring sealing are used on attached bottles, then assembly is simplified and bottles are removable, but manufacturing cost increases and leak risk increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveremovabilityVSAvoidleak risk

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The removable cap with O-ring sealing system is extracted and replaced with a permanent sealed construction. The bottle is brazed directly to the component with integrated sealing, eliminating the need for removable caps while reducing leak risk through the more reliable brazed joint

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach effectively prevents humidity pollution during brazing, ensuring high-quality brazing and reducing the risk of leaks, thus enabling the industrialization of sealed integrated bottles with integrated desiccators.

Implementation Method 1

the desiccator tends to diffuse, towards the component with which it communicates, humidity which pollutes the neutral atmosphere of the furnace

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectDiffusion: Diffusion

Implementation Method 2

brazing an air conditioning circuit component (100) comprising a bottle (200) for a refrigerant fluid

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectBrazing: Brazing

Data Source

PatentEP2516093B1Brazing method for a component of an air conditioning circuit comprising a fluid refrigerant receiver, and such a receiver

Publication Date: 2017.03.29 VALEO SYST THERMIQUES SAS

AI summary

The present invention relates to a brazing method for a component (100) of an air-conditioning circuit comprising a fluid refrigerant receiver (200), said receiver containing a desiccator (210) for said fluid refrigerant. Said method includes the steps consisting of: equipping said receiver (200) with confinement means (221, 222) capable of insulating said desiccator (210) from said component (100); assembling and brazing together said receiver (200) and said component (100); releasing said confinement means (221, 222). The invention also relates to a fluid receiver intended in particular for implementing such a method, with application to the air conditioning of motor vehicles.